Sofuoglu And Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Win Again In WSS
. By Bikeland Staff
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) came out on top of a final corner battle with another rider to secure his second race win in as many weekends. Intermoto Ponyexpress rider PJ Jacobsen placed just off podium this weekend, in fourth position.
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After a four-rider fight at times in the earlier stages of the 18-lap WSS race it came down to a last lap decider between Sofuoglu and pole man Jules Cluzel. Sofuoglu saw Cluzel go inside at the final chicane and then go wide, but the two came together on the exit, with Sofuoglu the winner by 0.879 seconds.
Sofuoglu took his career total of WSS wins to 29 today and in doing so took a championship lead of 25 points after four rounds.
Jacobsen was eventually a distant fourth after being a potential podium rider for most of the race. He is second in the standings with 55 points to Sofuoglu’s 80.
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) finished seventh overall in the race, one place and four seconds ahead of rookie WSS rider Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki). In the points Mahias is tenth, Faccani 11th.
Dominic Schmitter (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) placed 13th and scored three points today, while his team-mate Christian Gamarino was unlucky to fall and not finish.
The fifth round of the series will take place on May 10th, at Imola in Italy.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “In the last few laps I really pushed and pushed and reached almost the qualifying lap time with a 15-lap old tyre but Cluzel was still following me. I knew in the last lap he would try to pass. Anyway, we won the race, took the 25 points, and we deserved to win. The bike worked very well, Pirelli brought good tyres, and they too worked well. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team is giving me a very good package and the Kawasaki support is always there. I am very happy to win for Kawasaki, for the second time this year and we have very good points for the championship. It looks like we are getting stronger and stronger.”
Marco Faccani: “I am not so happy to be eighth but it was a good race in some ways because I passed a few riders. The first laps were not so fast for me and I lost a lot of positions in the turns. I hope to improve my confidence with the bike in the next races, starting at my home round in Imola.”